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35th Congress, ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ( Report 
1st Session. \ ( No. 541. 



LOUIS FITZGERALD TASISTRO. 



Jdne 7, 1858. 



Mr. Matnard, from the Committee of Claims, made the following 

REPORT. 

The Committee of Claims, to whom loas referred the petition of Louis 
Fitzgerald Tasistro, " ashing compensation for services rendered in 
the examination of the materials and preparation of a volume of the 
American Archives," have had the same under consideration, and 
beg leave to report : 

Mr. Tasistro claims compensation for extra services performed out 
of the regular office hours, and under the following direction from the 
Secretary of State : 

Department of State, June 18, 1855. 

The Secretary directs that translations of papers of any considerable 
length will be made by the assistant translator, and revised by Mr. 
Tasistro. The latter gentleman will devote all his leisure to an ex- 
amination of the materials which have been submitted to the Secretary 
for a new volume of the American Archives. He will ascertain 
whether those materials are suitable in themselves, homogeneous with 
those of the previous volumes ; and in the progress of the investiga- 
tion he will take a note of the character and contents of each paper, 
and report on the whole subject to the Secretary in writing. It is 
desirable that the business should be completed with all convenient 
despatch. 

W. HUNTER, Assistant Secretary. 

The committee addressed a communication to the Department of 
State, asking information in relation to the petitioner's claim, and 
have received the following reply in explanation : 

Department of State, 

Washington, May 28, 1858. 
Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 
yesterday, with the accompanying papers, relative to a claim of Louis 
Fitzgerald Tasistro for examining materials for a proposed new vol- 
ume of American Archives. It is presumed that, in directing him to 



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011 599 388 • 

devote all his leisure to the service adverted ^<j, me order to that 
gentleman of the 18th June, 1855, meant that leisure in the usual 
hours for official husiness which the transfer of the bulk of his ordi- 
nary duties to the assistant translator would leave him. The con- 
versation with Mr. Marcy, to which Mr. Tasistro refers in his 
memorial, may have occurred, as represented, but there is nothing in 
writing on record or on file in the department which contains any 
stipulation, express or implied, either that he would have a right to 
expect, or that application would be made to Congress in his behalf 
for, compensation, in addition to his salary, at the rate of eighteen 
hundred dollars a year. No doubt, however, is entertained that the 
service was well performed. From his report to Mr. Marcy, a copy 
of which is herewith enclosed, it appears to have been concluded on 
the 30th October, 1855. It is unnecessary to add thaf Mr. Tasistro 
was not allowed any compensation, because, being a salaried officer, 
the law prohibited such an allowance. I am not certain that there 
are sufficient data ibr me to express a positive opinion as to the value 
of the service. Supposing, however, that the materials submitted to 
the examination of Mr. Tasistro were only sufficient ibi' a volume of 
the Archives of the sizeof those already printed, I .should suppose that 
the working hours of ten days would afi'ord amjjle time for such an 
examination as was required of him. 

Pursuant to your request, I have the honor to return the papers 
which accompanied your letter, and to be, sir, your very obedient 
servant, 

LEWIS CASS. 

Hon. S. S. Marshall, 

Chairman Com. of Claims, Ho. of Rejts. 

After a due consideration of all the facts stated in tlie memorial 
and in the reply of the Secretary of State, your committee believe that 
no allowance should be made the memorialist, and they, tlierefbre, 
report back his petition, and recommend that it be not granted, and 
they ask to be discharged from its further consideration. 



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